Brig 8/16--American Avocet

American Avocets

I wasn't going to go two months without adding a year bird, was I? Since the local spots have had the same old same old and the weather was propitious, I drove down to Brig early this morning--there were possibilities there, only one of which I considered likely. 

I started the trip walking around the Visitor's Center, looking for the Lark Sparrow that has been hanging in the vicinity for a few days, but it wasn't around and when a couple of other birders showed up looking for it, I decided to bail and do some real birding. 

At the Gull Pond the light was terrible, but I did manage to pick out two Northern Shovelers in among the Mallards--mostly by size and behavior (they were "shoveling") but they did pick their bills out of the shallow water a couple of times to give me the clinching look--they were either hens or eclipsed drakes--too far, to glary, to tell and who cares?

Starting around the Wildlife Drive I was surprised at how little water was in the impoundments--great, desert-like stretches without a puddle. It is traditional to complain about the water levels at Brig but this seemed extreme--it made me regret even more missing the trip to Bombay Hook this year. And that is why I was at Brig--if I wasn't going to get one of my favorite shorebirds in Delaware, then I was hoping I could add it to list in Galloway. And just before the observation tower on the south dike, when I stopped to scan the shorebirds in one of the few decent expanses of water, there they were--6 American Avocets, and even in the lousy light I could see their buffy flanks. A couple had extremely turned up beaks, making them females. Six also was more than eBird thought proper. Luckily, they were all together and I could fit them in one photo frame. 

On the north dike, shorebirds were abundant--but they were much too distant to call them anything other than "peeps." The close-in mud flats had a decent flock of Semipalmated Plovers and a few scattered shorebirds, but if there were any phalaropes, Western Sandpipers, stints, or other rarities, they were among the specks a quarter mile away. Those birds that weren't specks were mostly Short-billed Dowitchers. I bet there was a Long-billed Dowitcher or two in with them, but again, distance was not my friend.

I parked my car at Jen's Trail and decided take my walk along the upland portion of the drive where the greenhead flies tend not to attack you--they pass that job onto the deer flies which are at least easier to kill.  While I was walking a truck pulled alongside me with a couple of birding friends. They'd also been looking for the Lark Sparrow with no luck. They had also missed the avocets, so I told them where they were if they wanted to make a second loop. They did, and on the way back to my car I saw them again. I was about 200 yards away from my car when my friend called me to say that the Lark Sparrow was back, sitting in a dead tree by the pay kiosk across from the Visitor's Center. I hoofed it to my car (my pedometer said I was walking 3.8 mph) and drove about the speed limit to get there, but of course, it was gone by the time I arrived. I spent the next 45 minutes or so walking around the area, looking for the bird, but it was really a half-hearted attempt on my part. The bird could be anywhere and anywhere includes lots of places I can't be. 

For the day, 58 species, a decent number. 

Canada Goose  15
Mute Swan  12
Wood Duck  2
Northern Shoveler  2     
Mallard  20
Mourning Dove  12
Ruby-throated Hummingbird  1
Clapper Rail  2
American Avocet  6     
Black-bellied Plover  30
Killdeer  1
Semipalmated Plover  85
Short-billed Dowitcher  150
Spotted Sandpiper  1
Greater Yellowlegs  5
Ruddy Turnstone  1
Least Sandpiper  120
Semipalmated Sandpiper  30
peep sp.  2000     Too far out to identify
Laughing Gull  150
American Herring Gull  20
Black Skimmer  2
Least Tern  10
Caspian Tern  8
Forster's Tern  105
Double-crested Cormorant  175
White Ibis  16
Glossy Ibis  85
Black-crowned Night Heron  1
Tricolored Heron  1
Snowy Egret  50
Great Egret  80
Great Blue Heron  21
Osprey  3
Cooper's Hawk  1
Bald Eagle  1
Red-tailed Hawk  1
Eastern Wood-Pewee  1
Eastern Phoebe  1
Eastern Kingbird  2
Blue Jay  3
American Crow  15
Carolina Chickadee  5
Tree Swallow  35
Barn Swallow  4
Northern House Wren  1
Carolina Wren  3
European Starling  50
Gray Catbird  10
Northern Mockingbird  1
House Sparrow  3
American Goldfinch  8
Chipping Sparrow  5
Song Sparrow  2
Eastern Towhee  1
Red-winged Blackbird  25
Common Yellowthroat  2
Northern Cardinal  2

Indigo Bunting  1 

End of the Year

Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, Port Royal Golf Course, Bermuda

Steve Weiss, in one of his posts on his interesting and informative blog (I've learned more about cetaceans than I ever thought I'd know) mentioned in passing his rules for chasing rarities. Which got me to wondering about what rules I seem to follow, and since I'm a believer in the psychological precept that you don't do what you think but you think what you do, I thought that examining some bird chases might give an idea as to my de facto rules. Because a lot of birds have come up "nah" the last couple of years, so what was it about the ones that did pique my interest? 

The Trumpeter Swan last week is a good example of a chase I'd make. First of all, very few Trumpeters show up in NJ. Secondly, this would be record for my home county; so it would have been a year bird and a county bird. Thirdly, it wasn't all that far away, and it was in a spot I know well. Finally, if I failed at finding it, there was still a lot of birding to be done in the area. 

The ideal chase was a couple of years ago, when possibly the rarest bird ever to show up in New Jersey--the Red-flanked Bluetail--appeared in a backyard in my development about a mile from here. I could just walk over there (and I did). Life bird, state bird, county bird. The next year, early in January, I went over again--year bird for county and state. 

When a Pomarine Jaeger showed up at Barnegat Light a couple of years ago, that was also a bird I just had to see, since Pomarine Jaegers are rarely seen from shore and I don't go out on boats. Also a life bird. The Townsend's Warbler at Eno's Pond was not a life bird, but it was a county bird and again, Eno's Pond is a place I know well and easy to get to. Gray Kingbird a few years ago at Barnegat Light? That's worth a look. Western Kingbird in Tuckerton--that became a nemesis bird, it took me at least four tries (I'm not usually that persistent) but it was a county bird. 

This year there was a Yellow-headed Caracara in an industrial park in Wilmington, Delaware. That would have been a life bird, but as I said to Shari, I really don't relish the idea of chasing a bird in an industrial park. There was a Short-billed Gull up in Raritan Bay earlier this month that a lot of birders went running for. It's a fantastic find, especially by the bird expert who loves to look through the big gull flocks looking for the oddity. I've seen Short-billed Gulls (in Alaska). They were called Mew Gulls then. I didn't cotton to the idea of driving up the parkway standing around waiting for the right tide and then picking through hundreds of gulls to find one that had a mirror on P10. 

Nor did I want to go to Hunterdon County for the long-staying MacGillivray's Warbler. Too far, too hard, I've seen it out west. 

It appears that my rules for chasing must meet most of these conditions: 

Lifer or at least a

County bird +

Site familiarity +

Ease of access +

High possibility of success.

Of course, it's always better if you just happen to be there when a rarity shows up--like the Say's Phoebe at Sandy Hook this year, or the Bell's Vireo there a few years ago. 

Roseate Spoonbill, Forked River

With all that said, looking at my list, I did chase a little this year: Clay-colored Sparrow at the PPA, Eurasian Wigeon at Lake of the Lilies, Kind Eider at Tuckerton, Upland Sandpiper at a sod farm in Burlington with 45 American Golden Plovers, Roseate Spoonbill in an obscure neighborhood in Forked River (this sort of broke a rule, but it was a county year bird and it also goes on the Goofy Looking Bird list) Black-necked Stilt in Manahawkin. For the year only 267 species. There wasn't much traveling--only a couple of non-birding trips to Bermuda and North Carolina and a couple of visits to Delaware. 

The list below is color-coded Bermuda, Delaware, North Carolina, New Jersey, and typographically Rarity, LIFE BIRD (only one of those all year)

WHITE-TAILED TROPIC BIRD, Bermuda

Species                            First Sighting                                    .

Black-bellied Whistling-Duck   Port Royal GC #17 Pond
Snow Goose   35 Sunset Rd
Greater White-fronted Goose   Lake Carasaljo
Brant   Sandy Hook
Cackling Goose   Marshall's Pond
Canada Goose   35 Sunset Rd
Mute Swan   Manahawkin Lake
Trumpeter Swan   Stafford Forge WMA
Tundra Swan   Whitesbog
Wood Duck   Lake Carasaljo
Blue-winged Teal   Brig
Northern Shoveler   Marshall's Pond
Gadwall   Ocean Acres Pond
Eurasian Wigeon   Lake of the Lilies
American Wigeon   Marshall's Pond
Mallard   Whitesbog
American Black Duck   Sandy Hook
Northern Pintail   Double Trouble SP
Green-winged Teal   Ocean Acres Pond
Canvasback   Riverfront Landing
Redhead   Lake Carasaljo
Ring-necked Duck   Butterfly Bogs WMA
Greater Scaup   Sandy Hook
Lesser Scaup   Double Trouble SP
King Eider   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Common Eider   Sandy Hook
Harlequin Duck   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Surf Scoter   Sandy Hook
White-winged Scoter   Sandy Hook
Black Scoter   Sandy Hook
Long-tailed Duck   Sandy Hook
Bufflehead   Sandy Hook
Common Goldeneye   Harvey Cedars
Hooded Merganser   Bunker Hill Bogs
Common Merganser   Pemberton Lake WMA
Red-breasted Merganser   Sandy Hook
Ruddy Duck   East Bay Av
Wild Turkey   35 Sunset Rd
Rock Pigeon   Manahawkin Lake
Mourning Dove   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-billed Cuckoo   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Nighthawk   35 Sunset Rd
Chuck-will's-widow   Collinstown Road
Eastern Whip-poor-will   35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift   Whitesbog
Ruby-throated Hummingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Clapper Rail   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Common Gallinule   Spittal Pond NR
American Coot   Lake of the Lilies
Sandhill Crane   Whitesbog
Black-necked Stilt   Manahawkin WMA
American Avocet   Brig
American Oystercatcher   Holgate
Black-bellied Plover   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
American Golden-Plover   Brig
Killdeer   Manahawkin Lake
Semipalmated Plover   Manahawkin WMA
Piping Plover   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Upland Sandpiper   Allen Sod Farms
Hudsonian Godwit   Brig
Marbled Godwit   Brig
Short-billed Dowitcher   Brig
Long-billed Dowitcher   Brig
American Woodcock   Manahawkin WMA
Wilson's Snipe   Cranberry Bogs
Wilson's Phalarope   Brig
Red-necked Phalarope   Brig
Spotted Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Solitary Sandpiper   Colliers Mills WMA
Lesser Yellowlegs   Brig
Willet   Cedar Bonnet Island
Greater Yellowlegs   Bridge to Nowhere
Ruddy Turnstone   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Red Knot   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Curlew Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Stilt Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Buff-breasted Sandpiper   Reed Sod Farm
Sanderling   Sandy Hook
Dunlin   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Purple Sandpiper   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Baird's Sandpiper   Sandy Hook
White-rumped Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Least Sandpiper   Island Beach SP
Pectoral Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Western Sandpiper   Bombay Hook
Semipalmated Sandpiper   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Parasitic Jaeger   Island Beach SP
Bonaparte's Gull   Brig
Black-headed Gull   Bayview Ave Marshes
Laughing Gull  Baltimore Avenue
Ring-billed Gull   Bunker Hill Bogs
American Herring Gull   Sandy Hook
Great Black-backed Gull   Sandy Hook
Lesser Black-backed Gull   Island Beach SP
Black Skimmer   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Least Tern   Graveling Point
Gull-billed Tern   Brig
Caspian Tern   Holly Lake
Forster's Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Common Tern   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Roseate Tern   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Royal Tern   Fort Fisher SRA
Pied-billed Grebe   Manasquan Reservoir IBA
Horned Grebe   Sandy Hook
Eared Grebe   Brig
WHITE-TAILED TROPICBIRD   Dockyard
Red-throated Loon   Sandy Hook
Common Loon   Sandy Hook
Northern Gannet   Sandy Hook
Anhinga   Cape Fear River
Great Cormorant   Sandy Hook
Double-crested Cormorant   Sandy Hook
White Ibis   Brig
Glossy Ibis   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
White-faced Ibis   Manahawkin WMA
Roseate Spoonbill   Forked River
American Bittern   Manahawkin WMA
Least Bittern   Brig
Yellow-crowned Night Heron   Ocean City Welcome Center
Black-crowned Night Heron   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron   Island Beach SP
Tricolored Heron   Manahawkin WMA
Snowy Egret   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Green Heron   Whitesbog
Great Egret   Island Beach SP
Great Blue Heron   Sandy Hook
American White Pelican   Brig
Brown Pelican   Kure Beach
Black Vulture   New Egypt
Turkey Vulture   Sandy Hook
Osprey   Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Sharp-shinned Hawk   Whitesbog
Cooper's Hawk   35 Sunset Rd
Northern Harrier   Sandy Hook
Bald Eagle   Sandy Hook
Red-shouldered Hawk   Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk   Forest Resource Education Center
Eastern Screech-Owl   Stafford Avenue
Great Horned Owl   Beach Ave
Barred Owl   Cranberry Bogs
Long-eared Owl   Beach Ave
Belted Kingfisher   Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker   Bridge to Nowhere
Red-headed Woodpecker   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-bellied Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Downy Woodpecker   Sandy Hook
Hairy Woodpecker   Whitesbog
Pileated Woodpecker   Snow’s Cut Trail
Northern Flicker   BC Fairgrounds
American Kestrel   Pasadena Road
Merlin   Island Beach SP
Peregrine Falcon   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Olive-sided Flycatcher   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Wood-Pewee   Manahawkin WMA
Acadian Flycatcher   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Willow Flycatcher   Cedar Bonnet Island
Eastern Phoebe   Whitesbog
Say's Phoebe   Sandy Hook
Great Crested Flycatcher   Lakehurst Railroad Tracks
Great Kiskadee   Dockyard
Eastern Kingbird   Cloverdale Farm
White-eyed Vireo   Manahawkin WMA
Yellow-throated Vireo   Sooy Pl Road
Blue-headed Vireo   Island Beach SP
Eastern Warbling Vireo   Colliers Mills WMA
Red-eyed Vireo   Manasquan River WMA
Blue Jay   Forest Resource Education Center
American Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Fish Crow   35 Sunset Rd
Common Raven   Sandy Hook
Carolina Chickadee   35 Sunset Rd
Tufted Titmouse   35 Sunset Rd
Horned Lark   Jackson Liberty HS
Bank Swallow   Thompson/Wright Preserve
Tree Swallow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Purple Martin   Brig
Northern Rough-winged Swallow   Double Trouble SP
Barn Swallow   Cranberry Bogs
Ruby-crowned Kinglet   Cranberry Bogs
Golden-crowned Kinglet   Whitesbog
White-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown-headed Nuthatch   Carolina Beach State Park
Red-breasted Nuthatch   35 Sunset Rd
Brown Creeper   Colliers Mills WMA
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher   Double Trouble SP
Northern House Wren   Island Beach SP
Winter Wren   Whitesbog
Marsh Wren   Cattus Island County Park
Carolina Wren   35 Sunset Rd
European Starling   BC Fairgrounds
Gray Catbird   Manahawkin WMA
Brown Thrasher   Island Beach SP
Northern Mockingbird   35 Sunset Rd
Eastern Bluebird   Whitesbog
Veery   Double Trouble SP
Swainson's Thrush   Double Trouble SP
Hermit Thrush   Whitesbog
Wood Thrush   Manasquan River WMA
American Robin   35 Sunset Rd
Cedar Waxwing   Island Beach SP
House Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
American Pipit   Island Beach SP
House Finch   Sandy Hook
Purple Finch   Whitesbog
Pine Siskin   35 Sunset Rd
American Goldfinch   Sandy Hook
Snow Bunting   Sandy Hook
Grasshopper Sparrow   Colliers Mills WMA
Chipping Sparrow   Forest Resource Education Center
Clay-colored Sparrow   Pinelands Preservation Alliance Headquarters
Field Sparrow   New Egypt
American Tree Sparrow   Whitesbog
Fox Sparrow   Beach Ave
Dark-eyed Junco   35 Sunset Rd
White-crowned Sparrow   New Egypt
White-throated Sparrow   Forest Resource Education Center
Vesper Sparrow   Double Trouble SP
Seaside Sparrow   Cattus Island County Park
Nelson's Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow   Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Savannah Sparrow   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Song Sparrow   35 Sunset Rd
Lincoln's Sparrow   Island Beach SP
Swamp Sparrow   Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Towhee   Cattus Island County Park
Yellow-breasted Chat   Cranberry Bogs
Bobolink   Bombay Hook
Eastern Meadowlark   Robert J. Miller Air Park
Orchard Oriole   Colliers Mills WMA
Baltimore Oriole   Whitesbog
Red-winged Blackbird   Bridge to Nowhere
Brown-headed Cowbird   New Egypt
Rusty Blackbird   Lake Carasaljo
Common Grackle   BC Fairgrounds
Boat-tailed Grackle   Bridge to Nowhere
Ovenbird   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Worm-eating Warbler   Dot and Brooks Evert Memorial Nature Trail
Louisiana Waterthrush   Double Trouble SP
Northern Waterthrush   Cedar Bonnet Island
Blue-winged Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Black-and-white Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Prothonotary Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Common Yellowthroat   Manahawkin WMA
Hooded Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
American Redstart   Cedar Bridge Tavern County Park
Cape May Warbler   Island Beach SP
Northern Parula   Manasquan River WMA
Magnolia Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Bay-breasted Warbler   Island Beach SP
Blackburnian Warbler   Double Trouble SP
Northern Yellow Warbler   Cattus Island County Park
Chestnut-sided Warbler   Cedar Bonnet Island
Blackpoll Warbler   Whitesbog
Black-throated Blue Warbler   Manasquan River WMA
Palm Warbler   Cranberry Bogs
Pine Warbler   35 Sunset Rd
Yellow-rumped Warbler   Sandy Hook
Prairie Warbler   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Black-throated Green Warbler   Island Beach SP
Summer Tanager   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Scarlet Tanager   Michael Huber Prairie Warbler Preserve
Western Tanager   Sandy Hook
Northern Cardinal   Whitesbog
Rose-breasted Grosbeak   Manasquan River WMA
Blue Grosbeak   Colliers Mills WMA
Indigo Bunting   Ephraim P. Emson Preserve
Painted Bunting   Fort Fisher SRA

Bombay Hook 8/18-8/20--Curlew Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Bobolink

Curlew Sandpiper (on the right) with Semipalmated Plovers & Semipalmated Sandpipers

 For the second time in less than a month, Shari & I were at Bombay Hook, this time for our annual NJ Audubon field trip led by Scott Barnes. The weather reports were promising, with only a slight chance of rain--but slight chances are why people gamble, and we lost the bet on the first and third days. 

We left NJ around 12:30 in the afternoon in a drizzle and by the time we got to Bombay Hook, around 3, for a quick turn around the impoundments (the trip started officially the next day) it was a steady rain and not the conditions for scoping the mud for rarities. So uncharacteristically optimistic was I that the weather would be warm and dry that I didn't pack a rain jacket or even a long-sleeve shirt. I had to buy an overpriced long-sleeve shirt with a sappy nature scene on the back from the gift shop there so I wouldn't freeze in the gusting winds. But everyone seemed to like the shirt and since my head doesn't revolve like an owl's, what I couldn't see didn't bother me. 

We were on our way back driving the two-way road at Shearness when we saw Scott and Linda in coming in the opposite direction. We stopped and talked for a while griped about the weather. Naturally, looking at their list on eBird later in the evening I saw that they'd listed about 50% more birds than we did, but it's not a competition--unless I'm winning. 

The next morning, thankfully, it was dry, as well as overcast and unseasonably cool. The group headed out for the impoundments, making our first long stop at Raymond Pool where the Semipalmated Sandpipers were feeding in droves. This time of year is a good time to look for Western Sandpipers if you have the patience to glean the slightly different field marks that distinguish them from Semipalmated. I don't. In fact, when I was at Brig on Sunday, I didn't even bother to carefully scan the flocks of semis there--why aggravate myself--and get bitten by greenhead flies--when in a couple of days Scott will pick out a few "obvious" Westerns and I can get them on the year list that way. It isn't like they're a particularly handsome bird--finding them is a game that I don't want to play. So, Scott picked out a few that day and I even found a couple on my own by accident while scoping some dowitchers.  When I looked at the some of the other eBird lists for that day I saw that one well-known birder had listed 80 Western Sandpipers and noted that it was probably a low count. That's just showing off, I think. 

Now, the bird I did want to see was a little farther up the road. Looking at the rare bird alerts before we came down, I saw that in the north end of Raymond a Curlew Sandpiper had been spotted. Curlew Sandpipers are a Eurasian species and quite rare in North America--I've seen a few but never in Delaware. This bird was attracting some of what Linda calls the "glitterati" of birding and they were all clustered at the north end where the bird was still being seen, ironically too close to the road and thus obscured by the high grass, making it difficult for the shorter birders in our group to see it. A falcon coming through scattered the thousand birds on that mud flat and we moved on, only to find out, when we had stopped at Shearness, that the bird had returned, so we did too ensuring that everyone in the group got to see this good-looking rarity. I was pleased and surprised by how fast I was able to find it and that Shari was able to see the bird without much fuss. I was even able to take a few pictures to prove I saw it. 

Roseate Spoonbill

The other rarity at Bombay Hook was a Roseate Spoonbill which I was more concerned that Shari see since it wasn't even a month bird for me. It had been out feeding while we were back at the Curlew Sandpiper spot, but by the time we returned to Shearness it had wandered back into the reeds. However, moving up the road a bit got us a different angle and the bird was in sight. "You can't miss it," someone in the group said, not knowing how easily I can miss it, especially when the directions include references to clumps of grass at the end of the peninsula when there are many clumps of grass on a few different peninsulas, but, again, like the Curlew Sandpiper, I did quickly find it. And so did Shari. 

Black Swan with Snowy Egret, Caspian Terns, and Canada Geese

The silliest sighting of the day was long-staying Black Swan that we originally saw when we were there in July. Lots of jokes about "Black Swan events" which just proves that the economist who coined that expression knew nothing about ornithology because if you're in Australia a Black Swan is expected. 

Black-necked Stilt

For the first day of the trip, we had 56 species. Today, when I was packing the car it was drizzling. Looking at my weather app it said it was cloudy. So, want do you want to believe--the app or your own lying eyes? All the way up to Bombay Hook it was cloudy in theory, raining in reality. And the trip started in a slight drizzle which got heavier as we progressed along Raymond. But we did add a few trips birds, like Bank Swallow and Pectoral Sandpiper and we did find the Curlew Sandpiper again, this time too far out for any really satisfying looks. By the time we got to Shearness it was a steady rain and we were contemplating bagging it but the weather app said that the rain would stop in 30 minutes--why I put any credence in that I don't know--maybe I was just glad that the app reflected reality for the first time today. So, we continued with the group up to Bear Swamp Pool and glad that we did since a small flock of Bobolinks was sighted and although a Jeep flushed them so that we at first only saw them silhouetted in flight, they soon returned, with two landing in a tree beneath a singing Blue Grosbeak--which didn't like them there and chased them away. And then, popping up in the tall grass were two Sandhill Cranes. And it had stopped raining.

That was pretty much it for the charismatic birds on the trip. In all, including about an hour along lovely Port Mahon Road, Shari & I had 76 species for the 2 1/2 days we were in Delaware. It rained all the way back on our drive north. 

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Black Swan^#
Wood Duck
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Wild Turkey
Mourning Dove
Clapper Rail
Sandhill Crane
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone*
Curlew Sandpiper
Stilt Sandpiper
Sanderling*
White-rumped Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
American Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern*
Double-crested Cormorant
Glossy Ibis
Roseate Spoonbill
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Bald Eagle
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Great Crested Flycatcher
Eastern Kingbird
Blue Jay
Carolina Chickadee
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling*
Gray Catbird
Northern Mockingbird
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Song Sparrow*
Eastern Towhee
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
Common Yellowthroat
Northern Cardinal
Blue Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting

^#Not Countable
*Port Mahon Rd

 

July Wrap-up--Bombay Hook Saves the Month

Double-crested Cormorants, Lighthouse Center

What was threatening to be an incredibly dull month with only one new year bird on the list (a very poorly seen but clearly heard Eastern Meadowlark at the local airport) was rescued by a trip to Bombay Hook the last two days of the month. We were meeting our friends from Minnesota there who had never visited the NWR (in fact, had never been in Delaware despite being adventurous world travelers), and it was there, the glary impoundments that three year birds jumped onto the list: Pectoral Sandpiper, White-rumped Sandpiper, & Stilt Sandpiper. All relatively difficult birds to find and identify, but all three were fairly close in on the mud. 

The two most amusing birds of the month were also there. On the first day, Shari & I made a quick go round of the impoundments and as we were returning on the far side of Bear Swamp Pool we saw two huge birds fly across the road. At first, seeing only black with white patches, I mistook them for Black Vultures, but Shari, of course, quickly set me straight as to their actual identity--Pileated Woodpeckers. We watched them fly from tree to tree in the dense woods, but they weren't about to pose for any pictures.  

The next day, as we were going around with Lon & Peg, we stopped to scope Shearness Pool which instead of all the sandpipers in the previous pool (Raymond) was full of boring Canada Geese, Mallards, and Mute Swans. But sharp-eyed Peg, using only bins, asked "What's the big black bird at the back by the shore?" I scoped the bird was surprised to find a Black Swan. Obviously, this is not a countable bird in the U.S. but as the four of us had made a trip to Australia together, where we saw huge numbers of these birds (or should I say "events"), it seemed an appropriate candidate for weirdest sighting of the day. 

Of course, American Avocets were present in large numbers in Raymond Pool, some in bright rufous breeding plumage, some already fading to black and white. Year bird for Shari 

Tricolored Heron, immature White Ibis, Snowy Egret, Lighthouse Center

As to the rest of the month for me, it was spent mostly in the abandoned cranberry bogs without much to show for it. I did finally go to a new hot spot in the county--the Lighthouse Center for blah blah blah which is located in Waretown. I liked it there and can see that it might be productive, but the main trail is only 3/8 of a mile long down to the bay so it isn't a place for me to get my walks in. I don't know if it is
open in the winter, but it looked like a good place to scope for bay ducks. Almost the first bird I saw there was an immature Bald Eagle sitting in the middle of the trail. It must have been a first year bird because it didn't seem to understand that I was a human approaching it until I got within 20 feet of it. I was a bit trepidatious about it actually playing possum in order to attack me, but it eventually figured out that both of us shouldn't be on the trail. 

Bald Eagle (imm)

For the month 129 species, about typical, for me, for July.

 Counties birded:

New Jersey: Burlington, Ocean

Delaware: Kent

Species    First Sighting
Brant    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Canada Goose    Meadowedge Park
Mute Swan    Holly Lake
Wood Duck    Cranberry Bogs
Mallard    Cloverdale Farm
American Black Duck    Manahawkin WMA
Common Eider    Island Beach SP
Surf Scoter    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Scoter    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Wild Turkey    35 Sunset Rd
Mourning Dove    Cloverdale Farm
Yellow-billed Cuckoo    Whitesbog
Common Nighthawk    Cranberry Bogs
Eastern Whip-poor-will    35 Sunset Rd
Chimney Swift    Robert J. Miller Air Park
Ruby-throated Hummingbird    Cloverdale Farm
Clapper Rail    Waretown
American Avocet    Bombay Hook
American Oystercatcher    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-bellied Plover    Bombay Hook
Killdeer    Whitesbog
Semipalmated Plover    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Piping Plover    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Short-billed Dowitcher    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Spotted Sandpiper    Colliers Mills WMA
Solitary Sandpiper    Whitesbog
Lesser Yellowlegs    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Willet    Waretown
Greater Yellowlegs    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Stilt Sandpiper    Bombay Hook
Sanderling    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
White-rumped Sandpiper    Bombay Hook
Least Sandpiper    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Pectoral Sandpiper    Bombay Hook
Semipalmated Sandpiper    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Bonaparte's Gull    Bombay Hook
Laughing Gull    Cloverdale Farm
American Herring Gull    Barnegat Municipal Dock
Great Black-backed Gull    Barnegat Municipal Dock
Black Skimmer    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Least Tern    Edwin B. Forsythe NWR--Barnegat
Gull-billed Tern    Whitesbog
Caspian Tern    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Forster's Tern    Barnegat Municipal Dock
Common Tern    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Common Loon    Island Beach SP
Double-crested Cormorant    Barnegat Municipal Dock
White Ibis    Waretown
Glossy Ibis    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Yellow-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Black-crowned Night Heron    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Little Blue Heron    Waretown
Tricolored Heron    Joe Torg Nature Preserve
Snowy Egret    Forsythe--Barnegat
Green Heron    Cloverdale Farm
Great Egret    Cloverdale Farm
Great Blue Heron    Cloverdale Farm
Brown Pelican    Barnegat Lighthouse SP
Black Vulture    School House Road Crestwood Village I
Turkey Vulture    Cloverdale Farm
Osprey    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Bald Eagle    Whitesbog
Red-tailed Hawk    Colliers Mills WMA
Belted Kingfisher    Horicon Lake
Red-headed Woodpecker    Cloverdale Farm
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Cloverdale Farm
Downy Woodpecker    Colliers Mills WMA
Hairy Woodpecker    Whitesbog
Pileated Woodpecker    Bombay Hook
Northern Flicker    Cloverdale Farm
Eastern Wood-Pewee    Cloverdale Farm
Acadian Flycatcher    Cedar Bridge Tavern County Park
Willow Flycatcher    Manahawkin WMA
Eastern Phoebe    Cloverdale Farm
Great Crested Flycatcher    Cloverdale Farm
Eastern Kingbird    Cloverdale Farm
White-eyed Vireo    Whitesbog
Red-eyed Vireo    Horicon Lake
Blue Jay    35 Sunset Rd
American Crow    Cloverdale Farm
Fish Crow    35 Sunset Rd
Carolina Chickadee    Cloverdale Farm
Tufted Titmouse    Cloverdale Farm
Horned Lark    Robert J. Miller Air Park
Tree Swallow    Cloverdale Farm
Purple Martin    Whitesbog
Northern Rough-winged Swallow    Stafford Forge WMA
Barn Swallow    Barnegat Municipal Dock
White-breasted Nuthatch    Cloverdale Farm
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Cloverdale Farm
Northern House Wren    Cloverdale Farm
Marsh Wren    Meadowedge Park
Carolina Wren    Whitesbog
European Starling    Cloverdale Farm
Gray Catbird    35 Sunset Rd
Brown Thrasher    Whitesbog
Northern Mockingbird    Meadowedge Park
Eastern Bluebird    Cloverdale Farm
Veery    Double Trouble SP
Wood Thrush    Whitesbog
American Robin    Cloverdale Farm
Cedar Waxwing    Cranberry Bogs
House Sparrow    Waretown
House Finch    Cloverdale Farm
American Goldfinch    35 Sunset Rd
Chipping Sparrow    Cloverdale Farm
Field Sparrow    Stafford Forge WMA
Seaside Sparrow    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Saltmarsh Sparrow    Cattus Island County Park
Song Sparrow    Cloverdale Farm
Swamp Sparrow    Whitesbog
Eastern Towhee    Whitesbog
Eastern Meadowlark    Robert J. Miller Air Park
Orchard Oriole    Stafford Forge WMA
Red-winged Blackbird    Cloverdale Farm
Brown-headed Cowbird    Cloverdale Farm
Common Grackle    Meadowedge Park
Boat-tailed Grackle    Great Bay Bvld. WMA
Ovenbird    Whitesbog
Black-and-white Warbler    Whitesbog
Common Yellowthroat    Meadowedge Park
Hooded Warbler    Colliers Mills WMA
Yellow Warbler    Cattus Island County Park
Pine Warbler    Cloverdale Farm
Prairie Warbler    Whitesbog
Scarlet Tanager    Cedar Bridge Tavern County Park
Northern Cardinal    Cloverdale Farm
Blue Grosbeak    Cloverdale Farm
Indigo Bunting    Colliers Mills WMA

Wilmington, NC 5/27-5/31--Royal Tern, Anhinga, Brown Pelican, Pileated Woodpecker, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Painted Bunting

Pileated Woodpecker, Snow's Cut Trail

A non-birding trip to visit our friends who recently moved to Wilmington, NC produced six year-birds, only one of which was on a back-of-my-mind wish list. We were only there for three full days; each morning Rick & I would go out to one of the nearby marshes or woods and do a couple hours of walking and birding. Wilmington is on the northern part of a peninsula that tapers down to a little point where the Cape Fear River meets the Atlantic. To the east is the Intracoastal Waterway which runs between the "mainland" and barrier beaches. The habitat looks a lot like New Jersey or, for that matter, any coastal habitat on the east coast. Instead of pitch pines and jack oak, as we have in the Pine Barrens, or loblolly pines in Delaware, they have huge stands of long leaf pines and turkey oaks, but the tree function pretty much the same in attracting birds. 

The first place Rick took me was Fort Fisher SRA--it looked and felt a lot like Island Beach. When we were in Kure Beach, on our way to Fort Fisher, I looked out the front windshield and saw two Brown Pelicans lazily drifting south along the ocean. Since I had deliberately not done any research on what birds I might fight down there since I didn't want to be tormented, I was surprised to see them. Of course, there, they're common and in the three days we saw dozens of them, but the first ones are always sweet. 

When we started our walk on Fort Fisher Basin Trail the first bird we heard was unfamiliar to me. I opened up Merlin and it returned Painted Bunting. I played the song to confirm that that was what we were hearing, and it was, but finding it in the dense foliage was impossible--hard to believe with a red, blue, and green bird but we were able to rectify that later in the day when all four of us went to Airlie Gardens in Wilmington proper. There we again heard Painted Buntings, but it wasn't until Shari spotted one in a bald cypress that we were able to get eyes on one. 

Painted Bunting, Airlie Gardens

The trail took us out to a marsh and an estuary, and it was full of birds--especially Clapper Rails and White Ibises. White Ibises, from what I could glean, are more prevalent there than Glossy Ibis, and from my very limited experience I can confirm that, having seen lots of White Ibis (this morning three of them even flew over as Rick and I were walking the dog) and I only saw one Glossy in the three days of birding. I also heard the familiar, raspy call of the Royal Tern and then found a few hunting the water along with Black Skimmers, egrets, and pelicans. 

Brown-headed Nuthatch, Carolina Beach State Park

The next day Rick & I went to Carolina Beach State Park which features a 3 mile sandy trail through a maritime forest of the aforementioned long leaf pines and turkey oak. It started out very quiet with very few birds of any sort in attendance but after about a mile we started hearing some songs and one of them stopped me in my tracks. It was the unmentioned wish list bird--Brown-headed Nuthatch. I've seen them in Delaware, which is about the northernmost part of their range, but they're hard to track down there usually high up in loblolly pines. Here in one relatively short tree, we had four of them, one with an ant in its mouth, so there must have been a nest nearby. Unfortunately, they were backlit when I photographed them. We heard more as we continued our walk, and I think we finished up with a count of 6 which was probably an undercount. 

On Friday we took a quick walk along a trail that ran along Snow's Cut, which I think is man-made to connect two bodies of water for boating. I heard a rapid, repeating call that I first mistook for a cuckoo and then quickly realized was the long call of a Pileated Woodpecker. It sounded like it was right on top of us--and it was. Rick spotted it in a hole of a dead tree. It was in its nest, popping its head in and out. This was by far the best look I've ever had of a Pileated and the first look for Rick. We also heard another Painted Bunting and spotted it singing atop a dead snag. 

Later in the day the four of us took a walk along the Wilmington Waterfront. Wilmington dates back to colonial times and many of the buildings are still standing. For a lark, we took a one-hour boat tour that ran up and down the Cape Fear River between two bridges (I refrained from humming the Gilligan's Island theme song). I didn't bring my binoculars since it is geeky to be scanning birds while you're supposed to be socializing, but while we were on the river I looked up and saw a bird with a long thin neck flying over. A flying broom. "That ain't no cormorant," I said to myself. When it flew over the starboard side, I could tell it was an Anhinga. I was already composing the rare bird description in my head when I listed it on eBird, only to find that Anhinga is expected in that part of North Carolina. Later, when I told Shari about it, she started looking and found three roosting on a rotting pier in the river. 

Of the six year-birds 4 would have been rare treats in New Jersey. Only the pelican and tern do I expect to see relatively soon. For the 5 days we were in NC I had 65 species, starting with a Wild Turkey on the side of I-40 and ending with a couple of European Starling at a pit stop at Dunkin Donuts in Goldsboro. 

Species            First Sighting
Canada Goose    Carolina Beach Rd
Wild Turkey    I-40 E
Rock Pigeon    Wilmington Riverwalk
Mourning Dove    Wilmington
Clapper Rail    Fort Fisher SRA
American Oystercatcher    Fort Fisher SRA
Black-bellied Plover    Fort Fisher SRA
Willet    Fort Fisher SRA
Ruddy Turnstone    Fort Fisher SRA
Laughing Gull    Fort Fisher SRA
Black Skimmer    Fort Fisher SRA
Least Tern    Airlie Gardens
Forster's Tern    Fort Fisher SRA
Royal Tern    Fort Fisher SRA
Anhinga    Cape Fear River
Double-crested Cormorant    Fort Fisher SRA
White Ibis    Fort Fisher SRA
Glossy Ibis    Carolina Beach State Park
Black-crowned Night Heron    Fort Fisher SRA
Little Blue Heron    Carolina Beach State Park
Tricolored Heron    Carolina Beach State Park
Snowy Egret    Cape Fear River
Green Heron    Airlie Gardens
Great Egret    Fort Fisher SRA
Great Blue Heron    Fort Fisher SRA
Brown Pelican    Kure Beach
Black Vulture    Capeside Dr
Turkey Vulture    Airlie Gardens
Osprey    Fort Fisher SRA
Red-shouldered Hawk    Carolina Beach State Park
Red-bellied Woodpecker    Carolina Beach State Park
Pileated Woodpecker    Snow’s Cut Trail
Eastern Phoebe    Fort Fisher SRA
Great Crested Flycatcher    Snow’s Cut Trail
Red-eyed Vireo    Carolina Beach State Park
Blue Jay    Airlie Gardens
American Crow    Wilmington
Fish Crow    Wilmington
Carolina Chickadee    Wilmington
Tufted Titmouse    Wilmington
Bank Swallow    Snow’s Cut Trail
Tree Swallow    Cape Fear River
Barn Swallow    Fort Fisher SRA
Brown-headed Nuthatch    Carolina Beach State Park
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher    Airlie Gardens
Carolina Wren    Wilmington
European Starling    US-117 N
Gray Catbird    Fort Fisher SRA
Brown Thrasher    Wilmington
Northern Mockingbird    Fort Fisher SRA
House Sparrow    Wilmington Riverwalk
House Finch    Wilmington
Chipping Sparrow    Carolina Beach State Park
Seaside Sparrow    Fort Fisher SRA
Eastern Towhee    Carolina Beach State Park
Red-winged Blackbird    Fort Fisher SRA
Brown-headed Cowbird    Carolina Beach State Park
Boat-tailed Grackle    Fort Fisher SRA
Common Yellowthroat    Fort Fisher SRA
Northern Parula    Airlie Gardens
Pine Warbler    Carolina Beach State Park
Northern Cardinal    Wilmington
Blue Grosbeak    Carolina Beach State Park
Indigo Bunting    Carolina Beach State Park
Painted Bunting    Fort Fisher SRA

Painted Bunting, Snow's Cut Trail

Bombay Hook 8/27-8/29--Black-necked Stilt, Marbled Godwit, American Bittern, Bobolink

Black-necked Stilt
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Shari & I drove down to Delaware on Tuesday, so we'd be on time for Scott's Delaware trip which met early on Wednesday morning at Bombay Hook.  On Tuesday afternoon we made a quick run around three of the impoundments with discouraging results, which is why Scott times the trips to the tides, because Wednesday morning the shorebirds were abundant in Raymond and Shearness Pools.  

It is dizzying to be confronted with a couple of thousand shorebirds. I can tick off the easy ones--Semipalmated Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Black-bellied Plovers, and I'm pretty sure those are all Short-billed Dowitichers, but no, hear that "Keek?" That's a Long-billed Dowitcher and I'll let Scott find it, because unless I'm right on top of one, I'm blind to the subtle field marks that distinguish one dowitcher from the other. Same story, only more so, with Western Sandpipers versus the much more common Semipalmated. 

And that's how we spent the first hour or so of the trip. But I did get my first year bird there as a couple of Bobolinks were popping in and out of the vegetation along the edge of the pool. At this time of year, Bobolinks have molted and are not particularly interesting birds, but I'll take it. 

The second year bird was much more exciting.  On the return trip riding along the edge of Shearness, Shari and I saw a big brown bird flying along toward us and before we could get a good look at it, it dived down into the reeds. The whole caravan halted, and Scott came back to say that it was an American Bittern. "What a lousy look," I thought to myself, but as it happened, the bird had landed right where we had stopped the car and someone was able to find it among the reeds--almost perfectly camouflaged, but not quite.  Not only was it a year bird, but it is also flagged as rare, and it was the first American Bittern Shari or I had ever seen in Delaware, adding to our state list (Delaware is #3 behind NJ & NY, of course.) That day we also added to our state list with a Broad-winged Hawk (also rare) seen hovering above the parking lot and, on a trip to Port Mahon Road a little south of the refuge, we saw a Lesser Black-backed Gull, also a state bird. It is surprising that lacunae you can have on your list in a place you go to fairly often.  And of course, we had American Avocets in good numbers and killer looks
at two Sandhill Cranes in Bear Swamp Pool, so it was a pretty successful day. 

American Avocets, Semipalmated Plovers

Sandhill Crane
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Greater Yellowlegs, Sora
Photo: Shari Zirlin

Today was even more productive. After another hour or so sorting through thousands of shorebirds and dipping on a reported Baird's Sandpiper (rare and to me, totally unexciting because of its blandness) we made our way to Shearness Pool where someone pointed out a little bird foraging next to a Greater Yellowlegs at the edge of a mudflat. The little bird turned out to be a Sora, and elusive rail that is always a treat to see. The Sora kept disappearing around a point of grass and no one could get a decent picture of it. Shari, trying to get a better angle, saw another bird standing in a gap in the vegetation, pointed it out to Carol who confirmed her suspicion that it was a Black-necked Stilt--Shari wasn't sure because the legs weren't bubble-gum pink due to it being an immature bird--but still, a year bird and one we always hope to see at Bombay Hook, though they aren't nearly as easy to find as the avocets.

After lunch the tide had gone out, which meant that the shorebirds had dispersed from the impoundments, but there was some action on the Leatherberry Flats across from Shearness. Linda had a peculiar bird but before she could get a good look at it the bird took off--Scott called out Marbled Godwit and I eventually saw it flying and again thought "What a lousy look," but happily the bird set down and, though it was distant, we all get good scope views of it. That was another bird that managed to avoid me this year.  

Three trips to Bombay Hook and an excursion to Port Mahon Road (advice: be careful of the utility pole in the middle of the road) got us 77 species. They were:

Canada Goose
Mute Swan
Blue-winged Teal
Northern Shoveler
Gadwall
Mallard
American Black Duck
Green-winged Teal
Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Clapper Rail
Sora
Sandhill Crane
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black-bellied Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Marbled Godwit
Short-billed Dowitcher
Long-billed Dowitcher
Wilson's Snipe
Spotted Sandpiper
Solitary Sandpiper
Lesser Yellowlegs
Greater Yellowlegs
Ruddy Turnstone
Sanderling
Least Sandpiper
Pectoral Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Laughing Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster's Tern
Royal Tern
Double-crested Cormorant
American Bittern
Yellow-crowned Night Heron
Little Blue Heron
Snowy Egret
Great Egret
Great Blue Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Vulture
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Cooper's Hawk
Bald Eagle
Broad-winged Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Peregrine Falcon
Eastern Kingbird
White-eyed Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
Bank Swallow
Tree Swallow
Purple Martin
Barn Swallow
Marsh Wren
Carolina Wren
European Starling
Gray Catbird
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
House Sparrow
American Goldfinch
Field Sparrow
Bobolink
Red-winged Blackbird
Common Yellowthroat
Blue Grosbeak